“It was pretty dirty, and not everything was assembled,” Andrews said.
Facing a garbage disposal that “leaked water everywhere,” Andrews first tried calling staff maintenance, but they took more than a week to solve the issue.
In the meantime, Andrews taped a garbage bag around the disposal unit. Then, when that failed, he used a bucket.
But while one problem was temporarily solved, others reared their heads — exposed electrical wiring, an unfinished kitchen and old furniture that still needed replacement.
“We didn’t have it that bad,” he said. “All things considered, from the stories I heard it could have been a lot worse.”
The stories Andrews is referring to are part of the Chandler Crossings move-in debacle of fall 2013 — the product of poor planning by past management team The Woodlark Companies, current Chandler Crossings managing agent Adam Martin said.
When the then-managers attempted to squeeze nearly $7 million in renovations during the two-week apartment turnover and cleaning period, three apartment buildings were left unfinished or uncleaned on move-in day, Martin said.
Maintenance worker Brent McLaren worked through last fall’s move-in preparations. McLaren said although this year they’re on top of turnover maintenance, last year was a different story.
“We had so much work to do,” he said. “Unfortunately, there was a lot of chaos last year.”
The planning debacle resulted in the owners of Chandler Crossings, WestPac Campus Communities, taking the management reigns back from The Woodlark Companies last November.
WestPac Campus Communities began planning for the turnover in January.
Martin was brought in following the change of management at Chandler Crossings. He said he and his team went to work on revamping the apartment complex, making good on past promises and establishing better customer service.
“When we came in, the reputation was not very well received,” he said. “We made things right with the current residents. Got all the gifts. Paid them immediately. We fulfilled the promises that were made to them last year.”
Martin said the 45 percent leasing renewal rate for the fall, which he said is above industry average, displays renter satisfaction with the new management.
“By staying on top of a lot of the complaints, by about spring break we had people trusting us, trusting we could get the stuff done,” he said.
Andrews, whose garbage disposal broke once again in the spring, said this time it was fixed within a day.
Andrews said he renewed his lease for the 2014-15 school year because of the amenities, such as free bus passes, Internet, furniture and the “dirt cheap” cost, compared to other apartments.
